Blind
by echo-WLH
Summary: It's funny how the one with the best sight was really the blindest of them all. Good thing she knows him better than he knows himself. Nejixten. Some shikaxino. He finds himself wanting to turn back time and fix his mistakes...


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WLH: Hi everyone... I told you I'd still update, right? Well this is the super extra changed version of my old story, Revelation. I added a few more scenes and I plan to add some twists to it too... I was reading all of my old writing, and I realized how sad it was in terms of ability... T.T... and I decided that needed to change. I hope you enjoy the new version, which will still be super Nejixten fluff :D. It's amazing how my writing has gotten better with my transition to finally becoming a full, thirteen year old teenager. xD

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The water dripped down from the ends of her hair as she stepped out of the shower. Taking heed not to drip water on the slick linoleum, she began to towel dry her hair when a slight tingling filled her body, a small spark that she recognized easily. Her chakra senses opened up and she realized with a tiny glance at the window that Hyuuga Neji stood outside, tapping his fingers against his crossed arm impatiently. His chakra level was magnificent, as she could sense him from all the way up on the second floor, in the other side of the house.

She moved forward, dropping the towel and checking the clock. She frowned in slight confusion. She subconsciously brought up a slender hand to brush off the condensed steam on her forehead and sighed. It was midnight, and Tenten, who had just returned from a mission with Shino and Sakura, had thought surely Neji would let her off of training for one day, seeing it had been an A-rank mission after all. That Hyuuga really fancied training. Her eyes swept sardonically around the room, looking for her bottle of lotion. Why not make him wait?

As she was rubbing the summer raspberry scented lotion on her legs, the doorbell rang. Not that Tenten wouldn't know the presence of the Hyuuga, it was merely an impatient reminder to hurry up on his part. Wordlessly, she slipped on her light blue bathrobe (a birthday present from Sakura) and proceeded downstairs. She could tell he sensed her; he tensed up and his face creased with impatience.

Maybe a little too impatient, especially for Neji.

She opened the door with a creak. He took in her appearance and said, "Hurry up and dress. Tsunade-sama wants to meet us now." He turned and stepped silently to one side of her porch. "I'll wait for you here."

Blunt as ever. Expected.

She cocked an eyebrow at him and tried to use subliminal messaging, but he ignored it and closed his eyes impatiently.

She tramped on upstairs, leaving the door open a crack. She put up her hair, pulled on her clothes, and strapped her scrolls to her waist quickly. Twelve at midnight. What exactly did the Hokage have in mind?

Upon seeing her fully dressed at the door, he stood up and stepped off the porch. "Let's go."

He left without turning back once, but she followed him and somehow, he knew she would. It was just like that between them.

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"Another mission?" Tenten stroked the leather straps that held her scrolls in place and stared at the ground, sucking in a breath.

Tsunade gave a sigh. Her best female shinobi on two A-rank missions in a row. Alas, it couldn't be helped. "I know you've just had a mission, but this is urgent, and we need you to go." Her eyes drilled holes into the top of Tenten's head. "Without you, this mission is impossible."

Tenten released her grip on the edges of her chair and smiled as best as she could, blowing her bangs up in a casual huff. "If my village needs me, I guess I have to go do the best that I can."

"That's what I wanted to hear," the Hokage nodded approvingly. "Don't overwork yourself though, alright, Tenten? Don't do anymore than you're ordered to do. It's dangerous."

The seventeen year old girl withdrew a glinting kunai from her pouch like a student would dig out a pencil from a pencil case and spun it around, once, twice. "I'll try."

Neji, who had been silently sitting by Tenten's side during the meeting, allowed himself to let out one golden smirk.

"All right then. But if you feel like you need for us to send a replacement, just send me a message." A bottle of sake waited under the table in the grip of the Hokage, waiting for the two jounin to leave.

A quick shake of the head from the young girl was enough to justify. "I won't be needing one."

Then, she stood up briskly and bowed, the senbon tucked into her buns shining in the dim light of the office. The Hokage nodded once, and Tenten, with Neji in tow, backed out the door and broke into a sprint, leaving behind the overheated building in favor of the biting night air.

The two traveled silently, swiftly. Only once did Neji try to offer words of encouragement, only to stumble shyly and awkwardly off, leaving Tenten half-blushing at his concern and half-giggling at his utter hopelessness. Needless to say, it wasn't attempted again. Somehow, as if it was a given, they arrived at Tenten's house, where Neji bidded her goodnight with a nod of his head and flashed off into the night again.

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Tenten stared into the sun, blinking her eyes way too often than necessary. She was tired, no getting past that. A concerned Ino stooped down beside her, calmly releasing the handful of flowers she had arranged out of boredom into the cool September wind.

"How are you feeling, Tenten?" she asked.

It had been nearly a day since the four of them, Tenten, Neji, Shikamaru, and Ino, had begun on the mission, after a quick briefing by the cranky and annoyed Hokage who had gotten up early in the morning to meet them.

Tsunade's voice rang in Tenten's ears, _'You musn't attract any attention, nor be completely unnoticed. Do your jobs as fast as possible and leave as fast as possible, but make sure you leave no detail unnoticed. We can't risk messing this up, it's too dangerous. Do this for the sake of the village, the sake of Konohagakure. Good luck, all of you.'_

At least, the words that the Hokage had been awake enough to say with some dignity before shooing them off and draping herself over her desk back in the office with a bottle of hot sake.

It was near impossible, but Tsunade had faith in them all, and knowing that, Tenten vowed she wouldn't fail. And this time, she vowed that she would prove herself strong to Neji. Neji, who always smirked down at her so superiorly whenever she lost to him, who always beat her down with words and criticisms, who always bandaged her wounds without seeming to care. Neji, whom she loved with all her heart.

_I can't mess this up…_

"Tenten. I asked you a question," Ino repeated, waving a hand over the vacant looking face of the girl next to her. "Earth to Tenten!"

She jumped up, surprised, and lost her footing on the slippery grass on the hill. It was Neji, sitting next to a lazy Shikamaru at the base of the hill, who caught her on reflex, and he was none too happy about it either.

"Ninjas don't loose their footing on slippery grass," he lectured, eyes flashing, "No matter how surprised they are." He scowled. "What have you learned these past few years?"

"Alright, alright…" Tenten muttered, her cheeks warm from the all too obvious smirk Shikamaru was giving her. She glared back at him, and thus began a staring contest in the midst of Neji's lecture. Tenten was in the middle of her best killer stare when the Hyuuga found out. He threw up his arms in resignation and uttered, "Forget it," walking off on his own.

"Set up camp," he called back, heading into the forest.

"Neji?" Tenten asked to his retreating form, brushing dew off her pants. "It's dangerous out there by yourself. Where are you going?"

There was no reply from the Hyuuga, nothing but a careless wave of the hand. But Tenten understood. It was just like that.

"That guy is fine no matter where he goes," Ino half-snorted, pitching a tent rather haphazardly. Shikamaru reached over and straightened it without a word.

"I don't see why you bother even worrying about him," Ino continued.

She glared at Shikamaru, who shrugged and mentioned critically, "Maybe you ought to learn how to pitch a tent normally before going after your friend's opinions."

"Well, you never know," Tenten replied softly. Ino and Shikamaru both exchanged confused glances and momentarily wondered whose question she had been answering. Tenten's hands stopped their work and she threw her head back, staring at the azure tinted sky. A cloud floated by and made a face at her. She returned it, sticking her pink tongue out lazily before flipping back to continue setting up the last tent, hair buns bobbing.

Shikamaru, finishing first, proceeded to do what he did best: look at clouds.

Neji didn't return until the sun was almost setting, and the only clue to show he had been in the forest for many hours was a small dirt streak on the left sleeve of his snow white hakama. The usually crisp uniform's effect was somewhat ruined by the streak.

"Where have you been, Neji?" Tenten murmured quietly. He sat down next to her in front of the small fire and stared into it, deep in thought as she brushed the dirt off his attire as best as she could, knowing that it would inevitably get dirty again.

"Places…" he replied, distractedly. He toyed with the loose silk string hanging down from Tenten's shirt, as he always did when he found himself with nothing better to do. "You didn't sew it back, like I told you to."

She giggled slightly, knowing that he would have nothing to play with if she did, and he was probably secretly glad it was not being tucked in or sown back. "Too lazy," she replied.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked abruptly, switching topic like lighting. This greatly amused Tenten, who snatched back her piece of silk string with a relish.

"What's with the sudden concern?" Her eyes lit up with great curiosity, but they stayed focused on the string, the piece of silk that would never be tied or sown or tucked back. It would always be there for him to play with.

His eyes studied her carefully. He noticed her excessive blinking, the constant murmured replies that were usually so cheerful, the slightly dulled eyes, but he didn't say a thing. "I will worry about what I see fit," he said without expression. He stared one more time at the piece of silk, and for a second, Tenten was almost afraid he would steal it back again, but he merely stood up and strode to the tent, leaving her blinking harder than ever and wondering what had just happened.

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**WLH: Sorry it's so short... :D It'd be great if you could leave some constructive criticism for me to ponder over... xD. Bye-bee!**


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